Case# 4055 Young Victim of Hospital Negligence

$14.5 Million Hospital Negligence

On January 12, 2016, the Minor Plaintiff was admitted to the Defendant Hospital for a sickle cell crisis.

The Minor Plaintiff alleged that he underwent negligent blood transfusions ordered and supervised by duly authorized agents and/or employees of the Defendant Hospital. The Minor Plaintiff alleged that he was negligently over-transfused, causing a sharp increase in his blood viscosity which directly led to the Minor Plaintiff developing a thrombosis (clot) in his brain by January 16, 2016.

On January 16, 2016, the Minor Plaintiff complained of very severe headache and ocular pain resulting in performance of an MRI/MRA. The Minor Plaintiff alleged that the Defendant radiologist negligently interpreted the study as showing no acute intracranial findings. It was alleged that had the Defendant radiologist read the study in accordance with the standards of care, he would have diagnosed the presence of a cortical vein thrombosis in the left frontal lobe which required treatment.

It was alleged that the duly authorized agents and/or employees of the Defendant Hospital continued to negligently permit the Minor Plaintiff to remain in a hyper viscous state which caused the Minor Plaintiff to develop increased and additional thrombi over the next several days.

On January 19, 2016, the Minor Plaintiff developed seizure activity. He then demonstrated neurological signs and symptoms which slowly returned to baseline. After the seizure, the Minor Plaintiff was taken for repeat MRI/MRA which was also interpreted by the Defendant radiologist. At that time, the Defendant diagnosed the presence of non-specific white matter changes in the left central semiovale which appeared to be unchanged. Additionally, the Defendant diagnosed new areas of abnormal increased signal in the sulcal regions of the brain. He concluded that subarachnoid hemorrhage could not be completely excluded. Subsequently, the Minor Plaintiff developed tonic posturing and loss of consciousness.

Accordingly, the Minor Plaintiff underwent evaluation by a pediatric neurologist who noted that the MRI of January 16, 2016, was previously read as normal by the Defendant radiologist. However, the pediatric neurologist indicated that she reviewed that same study with a radiologist– both of whom diagnosed the presence of a cortical vein thrombosis in the left frontal lobe — which the Defendant radiologist had negligently missed. The neurologist’s interpretation of the MRI taken on January 19, 2016, showed similar thrombosis in the left frontal lobe with additional thromboses in the right frontal and left parietal lobes. By January 28, 2016, the Minor Plaintiff required transfer to a specialty hospital for further care and treatment.

The Minor Plaintiff went on to suffer severe and irreversible brain injury. The case settled for $14,500,000.00.